Second Party in the Garden

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

It was time for the second garden party on the occasion of national day today. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa as well as Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, with some fun shoes it looks, were on hand to greet the guests in the Salle «Je Maintiendrai» before mingling and chatting with them in the gardens of the Château de Berg. We have more on the first garden party. Wort offers a gallery of visuals of the second.

Grand Duke Bids Ambassadors Farewell

In the past few days, on June 23 and June 28 to be exact, Grand Duke Henri granted farewell audiences to the following outgoing ambassadors: Christine Giaser of Germany, Denis Robert of Canada, Bartosz Jalowiecki of Poland, Atsuko Nishimura of Japan, Roxana Daniela Iftimie of Romania and Mike Lyden of the NATO.

Guillaume Meets MyScienceWork

Photo: Cour grand-ducale

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume received in audience Virginie Simon and Tristan Davaille, founders and CEO and CFO respectively of the startup mysciencework.com, at the palais today. The platform "serves the needs of individual members eager to access and share research. It enhances the diffusion of data via the Polaris platforms, and serves a community of 500,000 members with more than 30 million scientific publications from over 2,500 repositories and publisher databases (consult the list of repositories) and several collaborative tools."

Behind the Scenes of National Day and Interview with Alexandra

Photos: RTL

No, we are not done yet. Here's a little more about Luxembourg's recent national day by the way of a short documentary-style report by RTL. In addition to glimpses behind the scenes and the Grand Ducal Family chilling in their living room on the couch in ball gowns and tiaras (that's the difference between us and them), it also includes interview bits by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa and Princess Alexandra. This is the first time the only daughter of the grand ducal couple gave an interview.

Catching Up With a Wine Event

Better late than never! Back on May 31st, Prince Robert attended the inauguration of La Cité du Vin, a "cultural facility" (or, more simply, a museum) that explores the impact of wine across media and from various perspectives: arts, geology, geography, history, and so forth.

The facility is now open to the public, but the prince attended a pre-public opening that saw numerous other dignitaries including French President Hollande, the Mayor of Bordeaux, the Prime Minister of Georgia and other ministers from Georgia, a selection of foreign ambassadors (including US, UK, Georgia, and Moldova), regional presidents and prefects within France, other elected politicians from France, individuals from foreign consulates, and still many more. It was quite the gathering of more than 1000 guests, many of whom arrived by arranged river boats.

No photos at present, but a little more about the event here.

Henri Receives the President of the Swiss Council of States

On the 26th, Grand Duke Henri received in audience Raphaël Comte, the current President of the Council of States of the Swiss Confederation. The Council of States is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland and is composed of 46 councillors. A delegation of the Council is currently on a working visit to Luxembourg, also making a stop at the Chambre des Députés.

No photos of the audience at present, but they'll be added if they're made available.

Garden Party at the Château de Berg

Photo: Lex Kleren / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

It's that time of year again: the annual garden party at the Château de Berg. The event usually encompasses two events to honor National Day, and the 28th marks the first of those events. (The second party will be held on the 30th). Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume, and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie were there to greet the honored guests who represent cultural, economic, and political organizations and institutions within the Grand Duchy.

Photos at Wort.

Young Swiss Diplomats Visit Liechtenstein

Photo: IKR

Today, the trainees of the Swiss diplomatic and consular service visited Liechtenstein to get an impression of and to learn about the Principality as many of them will represent Liechtenstein diplomaticly in the future. During their visit, they were received at Schloss Vaduz by Hereditary Prince Alois.

As Liechtenstein is a tiny country, they only maintain few diplomatic missions in other countries. The Principality has embassies in Austria, which also serves for the Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, the United States of America as well as a non-resident ambassador to the Holy See. In addition, it has permanent representations in Brussels, Geneva, Strasbourg and New York City to the different major multilateral organisations as well as a bunch of consulates. In all other countries, Liechtenstein is represented by Switzerland who also offer all services to Liechtensteiners that they offer their own citizens.

Guillaume and Stéphanie Visit the Cité Judiciaire

Photo: Gerry Huberty / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

On Tuesday morning, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie paid a visit to Luxembourg's Judicial Precinct (la Cité Judiciaire). The 45-minute visit included an overview of the Superior Court of Justice and the Constitutional Court, as well as information about upcoming changes to court security.

There to meet the Hereditary Grand Ducal couple were Minister of Justice Felix Braz, President of the Supreme Court Georges Santer, Attorney General Martine Solovieff, and prosecutor George Wivenes (shown in the photo above).

A few more photos at Wort and more information about the visit at RTL.

Henri and Maria Teresa Support "Letters from Luxembourg"

Photo: © Cour Grand-ducale / Claude Piscitelli / tous droits réservés

On Monday, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa paid a visit to the dress rehearsal of "Letters from Luxembourg," a theatrical performance that merges the experiences of Luxembourg residents and arriving refugees. The show, directed by Sylvia Camarda and Serge Tonnar, aims to combat stereotypes and challenge audience expectations.

Following the dress rehearsal, the Grand Ducal couple took time to visit with the actors. "Letters of Luxembourg" opens today (the 28th) and runs through July 6th at the Théâtre des capucins.

A few more photos at the Cour website.

Baptism of Prince Joseph d'Orléans

Prince Joseph d'Orléans, fourth child of Prince Jean d'Orléans, Duke of Vendôme ans his wife Philomena née de Tornos y Steinhart, was baptised on Sunday at the Église Saint-Pierre in Dreux. Amont those who attended the christening was Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein representing her daughter-in-law Princess Tılsım, who is one of the godmothers of the young prince. And that isn't all: Prince Joseph, who was born on June 2, has another godparent who is a member of the Princely Family. His godfathers include his cousin Prince Johann Wenzel, elder son of Prince Gundakar and Princess Marie, née Princess d'Orléans. 

Two pictures at L'Echo Républicain.

Louis, Tessy and Noah at "Coupe Prince Louis"

Today, Prince Louis and Princess Tessy accompanied by Prince Noah attended the Coupe Prince Louis, a karate tournament named after the third son of the Grand Duke. Prince Louis has been the patron of the Martial Arts Association of Luxembourg for several years. After watching several fights, the young family was on hand to hand out the medals to the children and teenagers participating in the competition. The event at the Hall Omnisport Differdange also included a presentation by Franck Duboisse, World Karate Champion 2014 in the category Kata Wheelchair.

Unfortunately no pictures seem to be available yet but we will make sure to add them if any become available. A few pictures can be found at RTL.

Liechtenstein on the Brexit

In a press release from Friday, the Princely House noted that the British exit from the European Union will be challenging for both the European Union and the United Kingdom. The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union will be a negotiated one under Article 50 and will require two years to complete. The statement also noted that it will be important for Liechtenstein to watch the situation closely during this period of uncertainty due to their relationship with the European Union and specifically due to their close relationship with Switzerland. It further stated that Liechtenstein's participation in the European Economic Area remains the ideal form of European integration for the principality.

National Day: Pictures and Videos

Photo: Luc Deflorenne / Cour grand-ducale

Let's wrap up our national day coverage - well, at least for all the events that have already happened, two garden parties are still on the agenda - with more picture and video links than you'll ever care to look at. (If you do, contact us cause you might just be one for Team Luxarazzi.) For information, have a look at our previous posts on the visits to Troisvierges and Esch, the torchlight parade, the official ceremony, the military parade, the Te Deum and the gala.

First off, the videos: RTL offers you the chance to rewatch the official ceremony, the highlights of the Te Deum as well as a news report about the whole day. They also have a report from June 22 including bits from Esch and Troisvierges. Wort has videos of the military parade, the official ceremony, the visit to Troisvierges, and the torchlight parade.

As for the pictures, simply click on the links below to see about a gazillion of the different events.

Visit to Troisvierges

Wort 

Tageblatt

Pressphoto

Cour grand-ducale 

L'essentiel

Visit to Esch

Wort

Tageblatt

Cour grand-ducale

L'essentiel 

Torchlight Parade

Tageblatt 

Journal

RTL

Cour grand-ducale 

Official Ceremony

Wort

Tageblatt 

RTL

Pressphoto

Military Parade

Journal

Tageblatt

RTL

Te Deum

Wort #1

Wort #2

Catholic Church of Luxembourg 

Tageblatt

Journal 

Gala

Wort

Tageblatt

Journal

Combined galleries

Gouvernement.lu

PPE #1

PPE #2

Monarchy Press

Getty Images #1

Getty Images #2

Cour grand-ducale

L'essentiel 

National Day: Pictures and Videos

Photo: Luc Deflorenne / Cour grand-ducale

Let's wrap up our national day coverage - well, at least for all the events that have already happened, two garden parties are still on the agenda - with more picture and video links than you'll ever care to look at. (If you do, contact us cause you might just be one for Team Luxarazzi.) For information, have a look at our previous posts on the visits to Troisvierges and Esch, the torchlight parade, the official ceremony, the military parade, the Te Deum and the gala.

First off, the videos: RTL offers you the chance to rewatch the official ceremony, the highlights of the Te Deum as well as a news report about the whole day. They also have a report from June 22 including bits from Esch and Troisvierges. Wort has videos of the military parade, the official ceremony, the visit to Troisvierges, and the torchlight parade.

As for the pictures, simply click on the links below to see about a gazillion of the different events.

Visit to Troisvierges

Wort 

Tageblatt

Pressphoto

Cour grand-ducale 

L'essentiel

Visit to Esch

Wort

Tageblatt

Cour grand-ducale

L'essentiel 

Torchlight Parade

Tageblatt 

Journal

RTL

Cour grand-ducale 

Official Ceremony

Wort

Tageblatt 

RTL

Pressphoto

Military Parade

Journal

Tageblatt

RTL

Te Deum

Wort #1

Wort #2

Catholic Church of Luxembourg 

Tageblatt

Journal 

Gala

Wort

Tageblatt

Journal

Combined galleries

Gouvernement.lu

PPE #1

PPE #2

Monarchy Press

Getty Images #1

Getty Images #2

Cour grand-ducale

L'essentiel 

New Pictures of Princess Amalia

Photos: Point de Vue

Do you recall that event Prince Félix and Princess Claire hosted for Le Sourire de Lucie earlier this month? (If not, here's a refresher.) This week's issue of Point de Vue also has a report about the evening, which also includes new pictures of Princess Amalia. The daughter of Félix and Claire just turned two on June 15 - and look how she has grown!

Lovely Ladies, Dashing Gentlemen and a Tiara Parade

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

Let's finish off today's national day coverage in a sparkly fashion, shall we? We shall. (Stupid question, I know.) The national day gala brought out a plentora of tiaras and other sparkling things, but first let's get our facts out of the way: Invited were members of the government, the bureau of the Chamber of Deputies, the Council of State, representatives of the judiciary, heads of the administration and foreign ambassadors - and that's all hard facts this post needs, because I seriously get distracted by shiny things.

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

So let's have a quick tiara rundown: It was the Belgian Scroll Tiara for the leading lady of the evening, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie got out that still kinda mysterious Diamond Butterfly Tiara , which she debuted two years ago. And the three other ladies all debuted new-to-them tiaras. (Gotta love them!) Princess Claire wore the Grand Duchess Adelaide Tiara, Princess Tessy opted for the Diamond Vines Leaves Tiara and Princess Alexandra for the Chaumet Diamond Choker Tiara - and they all seemed to have an awfully good time doing so. And no, I'm not going to ask what happened in the following picture.

Photo: Claude Piscitelli / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

In related news, Princess Tessy sported another design by Marcin Lobacz. She really did take the Nassau colours and ran home with them. Even though the shoes may be a tad much, I have a really soft spot for her dress. Can't you just imagine gliding down the stairs and twirling around that one in the palais?! Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie wore a Paule Ka gown (with thanks to European Royals Fashion on Twitter). It was seemingly also the national day of repeats: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa's gown seems to be the same Elie Saab one from Crown Princess Victoria's wedding. Princess Claire's dress is a double repeat, not just from the recent Ligne/Dampierre wedding but also from the Borromeo/Casiraghi wedding last year.

And yes, the gentlemen also looked dashing in their uniforms and white tie. More lovely pictures of the evening at Wort and Tageblatt. Also, for more on the days events, check our posts on the official ceremony, the military parade and the Te Deum.

Grand Ducal Family Attends Te Deum

Photo: Catholic Church of Luxembourg

The third event of Luxembourg's national day, after the official ceremony and the military parade, was of course the Te Deum. As in the last few year's, the celebration at the the Cathédral Notre-Dame was an inter-religious one also including Jewish, Muslim and Orthodox prayers in addition to Catholic ones. Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich spoke about the integrating function of the Grand Duke and the Grand Ducal Family for Luxembourg and the importance of the European Union.

Photo: Catholic Church of Luxembourg

Like every year, the climax of the thanksgiving service was the "Domine salvum fac magnum ducem nostrum" - "Oh Lord, save our great leader" or something along those lines if my Latin serves me right - played in a different arrangement every year. Other musical pieces traditionally featured were the national anthem, Ons Heemecht, as well as the Sonnerie nationale.

Fashion-wise, there was a bit of a colour scheme going on. (Truth be told, I liked last year's fun scheme much better.) In other news, seashells attacked Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie's head and a folded crepes seems to have landed on Princess Tessy's head. None of the other hats were anything to write home about either but I don't have any good descriptions for them, so let's focus on the dresses. Well, two of them. Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie opted for a Valentino lace dress and Princess Claire wore a dress by Vilshenko (with many thanks to Laura on Twitter), coincidentally also worn by Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway today. My personal favourite though was Princess Tessy's dress even though I have no idea who made it and Stéphanie's Valentino - though it it did seem a bit warm for the day.

More photos on the website of the Catholic Church of Luxembourg and at Tageblatt.

Royals Remember Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia

Embed from Getty Images

On Monday, a mass took place at the Cathédrale Saint-Alexandre-Nevsky in Paris im memory of Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia, who died earlier this year aged 91. Prince Alexander's widow is Princess Barbara of Liechtenstein, who was present together with her son Prince Dushan and several children from her husband's first marriage.

Embed from Getty Images

Also in attendance were Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein as well as Prince Jean of Luxembourg and Countess Diane of Nassau alongside the Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent and Grand Duke Georgi of Russia, among others. More pictures of the mass at Getty Images.

Grand Ducal Quartet at Military Parade

Photo: RTL

After this morning's official ceremony, a military parade in the Avenue de la Liberté was the next point on the national day's agenda. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa as well as Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie were on hand to witness the occasion. 843 people were in action during the parade, among them 197 soldiers, 153 policemen und 167 members of the rescue services. Because, despite its name, the military parade doesn't only consists of members of the military. For the first time though, the parade also featured a fly-by of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft and a NATO E-3A-Awacs.

Pictures of the parade at Journal and Tageblatt.

Official Ceremony Marks National Day

All photos: Claude Piscitelli / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

It's the Luxarazzi day of the year! Luxembourg's Nationalfeierdag is upon us - and with it lots of appearances by the Grand Ducal Family. For visits to Troisvierges and Esch, check here; for the torchlight procession, here. Today's celebrations kicked off with the (new-ish) official ceremony attended by Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Prince Félix and Princess Claire, Prince Louis and Princess Tessy, Princess Alexandra as well as Prince Sébastien.

This year, the secular ceremony took place at the Salle de concerts Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte, also known as the Philharmonie Luxembourg. After the Grand Ducal Family including the Grand Duke arrived to the strains of the Wilhelmus, they made their way into the building where they joined members of the government and parliament, members of the town council of Luxembourg, the members of the Council of State, members of the judiciary, the heads of administration and the diplomatic corps for the official ceremony featuring speeches by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, the President of the Chamber of Deputies Mars di Bartolomeo as well as the Grand Duke himself, in which he made it quite clear that he would vote "Remain" in today's British referendum. They also awarded orders and such to deserving citizens.

 

Fasion-wise it was a day of repeats: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa repeated a much-worn Armani suit, Princess Tessy repeated her dress from the wedding of Archduchess Marie-Christine in 2008, and Princess Alexandra reached even further back repeating a dress she also wore to her parents silver wedding anniversary back in 2006 - thus rivalling their aunt Archduchess Marie-Astrid, our queen of recycling. And yes, I needed less than three seconds to identify where I had seen those dresses before. So I guess it's time to wrap it up!

First pictures of the ceremony at Wort. Like we did in previous years, we will have a seperate post with maaaany picture links once everything is over.

Grand Ducal Family at Torchlight Procession

Photo: Chris Karaba / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

A 17-minutes-long fireworks display rounded off the pre-national day celebrations in Luxembourg last night. After visits to Troisvierges and Esch-sur-Alzette, it was first time for the annual torchlight procession though. Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Prince Félix and Princess Claire, Prince Louis and Princess Tessy, Princess Alexandra as well as Prince Sébastien all watched a procession of firefighters and scouts carrying torchlights as well as folklore and musical groups and associations at the Place de la Constitution. 

A bunch of visuals of the parade can be found at Tageblatt as well as Journal.

More Guests at the Ligne/Dampierre Wedding

Photo: Point de Vue

Last weekend's wedding of Princess Alix de Ligne and Count Guillaume de Dampierre might have just been the noble event of the decade! Yes, my friends, the seriously long guest list just got even longer and now has about 200 noble names on them. We've added a few more Merodes, Orléans and Braganças and Orléans-Braganças, Orsinis and more including a few Liechtensteins. It turns out that Prince Philipp and Princess Isabelle as well as their son Prince Wenceslas were also present of the wedding bash. Also in attendance for the evening portion of the celebration was Count Rodolphe de Limburg-Stirum, husband of Archduchess Marie-Christine.

Here's hoping the pretty gown streak for Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Princess Claire and Princess Tessy will continue for tomorrow's national day gala! Way more about the wedding of Alix de Ligne and Guillaume de Dampierre in this week's edition of Point de Vue.

And in Non-National Day News...

Photo: François Aussems / Tageblatt / Tageblatt.lu

...Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa went a bit undercover at a concert at the Fête de la Musique by jazz singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo and trumpeter-composer Gast Waltzing, who they also met earlier at the palais.

...Bloomberg reports how Prince Robert, cousin of the Grand Duke, is building an empire in Bordeaux - and it's about wine.

...Hereditary Prince Alois met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Mikheil Janelidze, who was on a visit to Liechtenstein on Wednesday.

Almost National Day: Celebrations in Troisvierges, Esch and More

It's that time of the year again: Tomorrow, June 23, is Luxembourg's national day and today all the traditional pre-festivities took place. While the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess visit a different municipality each year, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess made their traditional visit to Esch-sur-Alzette. In the evening, they all reunited for an event in Luxembourg city, but let's start at the beginning.

Photo: Chris Karaba / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

The celebrations for Luxembourg's Nationalfeierdag officially kicked off with changing of the guard in front of the palais grand-ducal. This year, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa made a visit to Troisvierges in the north of the Grand Duchy where they were welcomed by Ministers Romain Schneider, Fernand Etgen and Mark Hansen as well as Deputy Mayor Edy Mertens. After a wreath was laid at the war memorial next to the town hall, the group proceeded to the parish church Saint-André de Troisvierges, which is a national monument, where they learned about the history of the church as well as heard an organ concert. The grand ducal visitors also saw the Tony Bourg library, the cultural centre and the culinary village, where they tasted international culinary delicacies. Visuals from Troisvierges at Wort and Tageblatt.

Photos: Claude Piscitelli / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

Meanwhile, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie visited Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg's second largest city. They were greeted at the Place de la Résistance by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and President of the Chamber of Deputies Mars Di Bartolomeo as well as mayor Vera Spautz and the college of aldermen. The couple also laid a wreath of flowers at the foot of a war memorial, before heading to the town hall to follow the traditional parade the city's associations and organisations. Then the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess also lit the traditional campfire of the Luxembourg Scouts for the Escher Volleksfest. Pictures from Esch can be found at Wort and Tageblatt.

Earlier this evening, there was a procession of firefighters and scouts carrying torchlights as well as folklore and musical groups and associations - but as there are no visuals yet, we will have a seperate post about that event which apparently brought out an array of members of the Grand Ducal Family. Vive!

Henri and Maria Teresa Receive Angelique Kidjo and Gast Waltzing

Photo: © Cour grand-ducale/Charles Caratini/tous droits réservés

On Tuesday, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa received in audience jazz singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo and trumpeter-composer Gast Waltzing at the Palais grand-ducal. Both musicians are in Luxembourg for the Fête de la Musique and also performed with the Luxembourg Philharmonic.

Grammy winner Kidjo has also been a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF since 2002.

Henri Honors More Order of Adolphe of Nassau Recipients

On Tuesday, Grand Duke Henri was present for Part 2 of the Order of Adolphe of Nassau, with the second group of recipients being given their honors at the Palais grand-ducal. This second group includes members of the Grand Ducal Police, Cour grand-ducale staff members, a selection of individuals from public institutions, and further members of the Luxembourg Army, including those participating in Military Music.

See here for Part 1 of the awards. No photo of this event just yet, although we'll add if the Cour releases any.

Princess Alexandra Inaugurates a Rose Garden

Photo: Lex Kleren / Luxemburger Wort / Wort.lu

On Tuesday, Princess Alexandra was in Rollingen to inaugurate the Jardin de Roses at the senior citizens' center Blannenheem. The center is part of Fondation Lëtzebuerger Blannevereenegung, of which Princess Alexandra is now an official patron, and the new rose garden was designed to be accessible to all residents as an outdoor space for the community to enjoy.

Blannenheem director Roger Hoffman was there to greet her, as were Paul Ensch, who is the Chairman of the Board for the Fondation, and Mayor Michel Malherbe of Mersch. (Rollingen is a commune within Mersch.) During the visit, Princess Alexandra watched a performance by residents of the center, and then she took the time to meet residents individually.

More photos at Wort.

Guests at the Ligne/Dampierre Wedding

Photo: Valentin Dupont /
Royalement Blog

If you have been a Luxarazzi regular for quite a while now, you will know that I'm always one for a good guest list of royal events. So here's a kinda sorted, exhausting but not exhaustive - there were 800 (!) guests - list of attendees of the wedding of Princess Alix de Ligne and Count Guillaume de Dampierre, we were able to identify - many thanks to everyone who helped (you know who you are)!

People are usually listed by the higher title they have, either by birth of by marriage - sometimes it's also the one they prefer to be known by.

Most of the identifications come thanks to the pictures taken by Valentin Dupont for Royalement Blog.

On a Luxarazzi note, we can happily report that Princess Astrid of Liechtenstein, daughter of Princess Margaretha and Prince Nikolaus, and Princess Marie-Gabrielle, daughter of Prince Jean, and her (just?) boyfriend Antonius Willms, whose mother is a Countess of Goess, were also present.

As always, our guest lists are work in progress - if we can identify any new guests, we will add them to this list! So, here we go:

Prince Pierre d'Arenberg

Prince Léopold-Engelbert d'Arenberg

Prince Lukas of Auersperg

Princess Alice of Auersperg

Prince Franz Josef of Auersperg-Trautson
Archduchess Constanza of Austria

Archduchess Maria-Beatrix of Austria

Countess Anna of Arco-Zinneberg

Countess Margherita of Arco-Zinneberg

Archduke István of Austria
Archduchess Paola of Austria

Archduchess Yolande of Austria

Archduke Rudolf of Austria
Archduchess Marie-Hélène of Austria

Archduke Carl-Christian of Austria
Archduchess Estelle of Austria

Archduchess Priscilla of Austria

Hector Riesle
Archduchess Alexandra of Austria

Archduke Carl-Christian of Austria

Archduchess Marie-Astrid of Austria

Count Rodolphe de Limburg-Stirum

Archduchess Marie-Christine of Austria

Archduchess Gabriella of Austria

Archduchess Anna-Gabriele of Austria

Archduke Carl-Peter of Austria
Archduchess Alexandra of Austria

Archduchess Catharina of Austria

Archduke Michael of Austria

Prince Luitpold of Bavaria

Prince Ludwig of Bavaria

Queen Mathilde of the Belgians

Prince Amedeo of Belgium
Princess Elisabetta of Belgium

Princess Maria-Laura of Belgium

Prince Laurent of Belgium
Princess Claire of Belgium

Prince Louise of Belgium

Prince Nicolas of Belgium

Prince Aymeric of Belgium

Duarte Pio, Duke of Bragança
Isabel, Duchess of Bragança

Afonso, Prince of Beira

Infanta Maria Francisca of Portugal

Prince Otto of Castell-Rüdenhausen

Viscount Baudouin de Chabot-Tramecourt

Count François du Chastel

Arthur de Clermont-Tonnerre
Princess Marguerite of Croÿ-Roeulx

Duke Rudolf of Croÿ

Hereditary Prince Philipp of Croÿ

Princess Xenia of Croÿ

Prince Hadrien of Croÿ-Roeulx

Princess Jacqueline-Ariadne of Croÿ-Roeulx

Duke Jacques de Crussol d'Uzès
 Duchess Alessandra de Crussol d'Uzès

Count Audoin de Dampierre
Countess Roselyne de Dampierre

 Patrick Vernet
Countess Géraldine de Dampierre

Eleanor Vernet

Countess Laure de Dampierre 

Count Marc-Antoine de Dampierre
Countess Chantal de Dampierre

Countess Stefania de Dampierre

Countess Victoire de Dampierre

Count Charles de Dampierre

Count Arthur de Dampierre

Prince Piotr Galitzine
Archduchess Maria-Anna of Austria

Guillermo Sierra
Princess Tatiana Galitzine

Baron Roland Gillion-Crowet
Baroness Anne-Marie Gillion-Crowet

Count Andreas Henckel von Donnersmarck

Count Jehan de Lannoy

Prince Philipp of Liechtenstein
Princess Isabelle of Liechtenstein

Prince Wenceslas of Liechtenstein

Princess Margeretha of Liechtenstein

Princess Maria-Anunciata of Liechtenstein

Princess Marie-Astrid of Liechtenstein

Princess Alix of Luxembourg, Princess of Ligne

Prince Michel de Ligne
Princess Eleonora de Ligne

Prince Henri de Ligne

Prince Wauthier de Ligne
Princess Régine de Ligne

Prince Philippe de Ligne
Princess Laetitia de Ligne

Paul Weingarten
Princess Mélanie de Ligne

Baron Baudouin Gillès de Pélichy
Princess Elisabeth de Ligne

Charles de Fabribeckers de Cortils et Grâce
Princess Anne-Marie de Ligne

Laure Morgat

Isabelle Morgat

Princess Sophie de Ligne

Prince Lamoral de Ligne
Princess Minthia de Ligne

Prince Louis de Ligne

Princess Marie de Ligne

Princess Florence de Ligne

Mary Townsend

George Townsend

James Townsend

Bartholomew Townsend

Prince Charles-Antoine de Ligne La Trémoïlle

Count Louis de Limburg-Stirum
Countess Belén de Limburg-Stirum

Count Philippe de Limburg-Stirum

Countess Caroline de Limburg-Stirum

Prince Ferdinand of Lippe

Princess Auguste of Bavaria

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg

Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg

Prince Félix of Luxembourg

Princess Claire of Luxembourg

Prince Louis of Luxembourg

Princess Tessy of Luxembourg

Princess Alexandra of Luxembourg

Prince Sébastien of Luxembourg

Prince Jean of Luxembourg

Countess Diane de Nassau

Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau

Antonius Willms

Prince Robert of Luxembourg

Princess Julie of Nassau

Princess Charlotte of Nassau

Sol de Medina y Orléans-Bragança

Princess Clotilde de Merode

Prince Edouard de Merode
Princess Sylvia de Merode

Prince Thierry de Merode

Count Gaspard de Moustier

Prince Jean-Christophe Napoléon

Count Guy de Nicolaÿ

Margot Miller Mackay

Marie-Adélaïde de Liedekerke

Princess Dorothea Orsini d'Aragona

Princess Luisa Orsini d'Aragona

Princess Hélène of Orléans

Princess Adélaïde of Orléans

Prince François of Orléans
Princess Theresa of Orléans

Prince Bertrand of Orléans-Bragança

Nuno de Carvalho Moreira
Princess Carolina of Orléans-Bragança

Prince Antonio of Orléans-Bragança
Princess Christine of Orléans-Bragança

James Spearman
Princess Amélia of Orléans-Bragança

Prince Rafael of Orléans-Bragança

Princess Maria-Gabriella of Orléans-Bragança

Prince Eudes of Orléans-Bragança
Princess Mercedes of Orléans-Bragança

Eduardo de Carvalho Moreira
Princess Maria Antonia of Orléans-Bragança

Princess Anna Luiza of Orléans-Bragança

Princess Maria Francisca of Orléans-Bragança

Pablo Trindade de Souza
Princess Maria-Elisabeth of Orléans-Bragança

Princess Maria Tereza of Orléans-Bragança

Princess Maria Eleonora of Orléans-Bragança

Prince Alberto of Orléans-Bragança
Princess Martitza of Orléans-Bragança

Prince Pedro Alberto of Orléans-Bragança

Princess Maria Beatriz of Orléans-Bragança

Princess Ana Thereza of Orléans-Bragança

Prince Antonio Alberto of Orléans-Bragança

Princess Maria Gabriela "Lelli" of Orléans-Bragança

Johannes Hessel de Jong
Princess Maria Teresa of Orléans-Bragança

Maria Pia Hessel de Jong

Baron Jean-Louis de Potesta
Princess Sophie of Hohenberg

Baroness Marie-Claude Solvay de La Hulpe

Prince Jost-Christian of Stolberg-Stolberg

Princess Sylvianne of Stolberg-Stolberg

Hereditary Prince Christian-Ludwig of Stolberg-Stolberg

Princess Louise of Stolberg-Stolberg

Count Alexander of Stolberg-Stolberg

Princess Isabel of Orléans-Bragança

Baron Wilhelm of Stotzingen
Charlotte Morel de Boncourt de Belvalet d'Humeroeuille

Raphael de Taisne

Count Bernard de Traux de Wardin

Marquis Olivier de Trazegnies

Count Lancelot d'Ursel

Countess Nathalie d'Ursel

Count Gaspar d'Ursel

Countess Laetitia d'Ursel

Count Hubert d'Ursel

Count Alexis de Warren 

Alois Meets with the President of the Swiss National Council

Hereditary Prince Alois met with Christa Markwalder, the President of the Swiss National Council, during her brief visit to Liechtenstein. Markwalder paid a courtesy call on the Hereditary Prince at Vaduz Castle while she is in the principality to attend an economic forum for women.

The Swiss National Council President also Prime Minister Adrian Hasler, Parliament President Adrian Frick, and Parliament Vice-President Violanda Lanter-Koller. Also in attendance to meet with Markwalder were Secretary of State Josef Hilti and Swiss Ambassador to Liechtenstein Olaf Kjelsen.

More from Volksblatt. No photos of Alois, but a few of other Liechtenstein dignitaries with Christa Markwalder.

Hereditary Princess Sophie Attends Final Podium Concert

Photo: Volksblatt / Volksblatt.li

On Sunday, Hereditary Princess Sophie attended the final podium concert of the season, under the direction of Maestro Graziano Mandozzi. The event recalled the contributions of founder Lotte Schwarz, whose memory was honored during the concert with flowers set on an empty seat. (Ms. Schwarz passed away in November of 2015, and both Princess Marie and Hereditary Princess Sophie attended a memorial concert for her last December.)

The Hereditary Princess also handed out diplomas and prizes, with all competitors granted ex aequo (or "equally placed") status; the Maestro noted that the Jury chose a "democratic" route for this podium concert by essentially giving everyone first prize.

A little more at Volksblatt.

Guillaume and Stéphanie Support the Kräizbierg Foundation

Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie attended a graduation event for the Kräizbierg Foundation, which provides workforce training to those who face disabilities. This event was a presentation of certificates for those who had completed the training, and it was followed up by a visit by the Hereditary Grand Ducal couple to the foundation's workshops.

Corinne Cahen, the Minister of Family and Integration, was also in attendance.

The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess have been long-time supporters of the Kräizbierg Foundation. More about the organization and the event at the Cour website.

Princess Alix de Ligne Weds Count Guillaume de Dampierre

Photo: Valentin Dupont / Royalement Blog

Today the wedding bells rang in Belœil, Belgium, for Princess Alix de Ligne and Count Guillaume de Dampierre. Princess Alix is the daughter of Michel, Prince of Ligne, himself the son of Princess Alix of Luxembourg, and his wife née Princess Eleonora of Orléans-Braganza of the Brazilian royal family, which makes Princess Alix a descendant of Grand Duchess Charlotte and Prince Felix. And so it's no surprise that Luxembourgish attendance at the wedding was numerous.

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, Prince Félix and Princess Claire, Prince Louis and Princess Tessy, Princess Alexandra as well as Prince Sébastien all made it a priority to be there for Alix's big day. In addition, Archduchess Marie-Astrid and Archduke Carl-Christian with their daughters Marie-Christine and Gabriella, Princess Margaretha with daughter Anunciata, Prince Jean and Countess Diane as well as Prince Guillaume and Princess Sibilla were also present. Also in attendance were Prince Robert and Princess Julie with their daughter Charlotte. Lots of names, I know. So let's get the faces to the names!

All pictures are by Valentin Dupont of the fabulous Royalement Blog, which also has a post with a lot more info on Princess Alix and Count Guillaume.

These four are easy to recognise: Of course it is Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Grand Duke Henri, Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie and Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume.

 Next are Princess Claire and Prince Félix as well as Princess Tessy and Prince Louis.

And of course Prince Sebastien and Princess Alexandra.

Also present were the pregnant Archduchess Marie-Christine, Archduchess Gabriella and their parents, Archduchess Marie-Astrid and Archduke Carl-Christian of Austria.

As were Countess Diane and Prince Jean, who are pictured together with Count Jehan de Lannoy, oldest brother of Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie, as well as Princess Anunciata and Princess Margaretha.

Glowing in yellow was Princess Sibilla together with husband Prince Guillaume.

And Prince Robert, nephew of Grand Duke Jean, on the right with his wife Princess Julie and daughter Princess Charlotte of Nassau.

Lots more pictures of the wedding are available across half the internet. Make sure to check Royalement's Facebook for more as well as Belgian RTL for a video. As pictures are just beginning to come through, we might get back to this wedding in a while to see who else attended. I did also see members of the Wittelsbach, Henckel von Donnersmarck and Hohenberg families meaning that a lot more Luxembourg descendants were present for the day.